Soft and Smells Good

Even though her thighs quivered once they were done, Sonia knew the kegels worked because her grip was tighter and Lawrence’s grimace had a haze of amazement over it.

"Fuuuuck!" Lawrence moaned. The moonlight hit the sweat on his back and the glow created a shine to him. A halo even.

Sonia smiled and slid from underneath him. She turned on her side and he placed his hand heavy on her thigh, like a payloader collapsing under the weight of crumbled concrete. She shifted. A signal that yelled louder than any words she could say.

Intimacy is not allowed.

They laid there for a little while. Lawrence was trying to recall where he put his keys and not forget to stop at the Wegmans to get the chocolate-covered macaroons and the sushi. Sonia was counting. She counted to forty-seven after every interaction because the time felt long enough to satisfy what it was they desired, yet short enough that she could get on with her night. At forty-four, she lowered her legs on the side of the bed and sat straight up. Forty-six. Her legs were thick like dumplings and her curls cascaded across her back and shoulders in one full sweep. She was soft and she smelled good.

"Shorty what you doing?" Lawrence asked. It always amused her when they played into the fantasy.

"You already know." She forced a smile.

"Where you going though? The room is good til the morning."

The Regency Carrington Hotel was in the center of an industrial business park and frequented mostly by people who traveled for work. Though this was not the extent of their guest list. It stood at only five stories tall but dominated in size against the rest of the neighboring structures. Still, it wasn’t obscene or flashy. It was comfortably classy and favorably discreet. All of the rooms were suites as the idea was for guests to feel at home while away from home. The goings-on in any given room on any particular night would also mimic … well, what typically occurred at home.

He reached across the bed and grabbed her hand. "And you know I'm good to go again." He let her hand go and eased back on the headboard. Triumph and confidence burst from his grin.

"You only paid for two hours." She gathered her hair into a ponytail and secured it with a clip from her wrist. She turned and looked at him. "And I have appointments. I can't stay." She stood up and slid her tank top over her head. It silhouetted her frame. Supple and plump. She was soft and even after fucking, she smelled good.

"Aww shorty you ain't gotta do me like that."

"I thought you liked it when I did.” She giggled. He laughed. She finished dressing and took out her cellphone. "Alright Papi, I gotta go." She opened the app on her phone called QuikPay. "You can send it now."

"I got you." He grabbed his phone off of the nightstand and opened his QuikPay on his phone. "Done."

Her phone chirped. Lawrence Miller just sent you $400, it read.

"Thanks for the tip" she smiled and started out the door.

"You earned that shit tonight baby!" He said. See you next week.

The room door made a soft click as it closed behind her. She stood there for a moment, closed her eyes and counted backwards from ten. When she got to one, she walked slowly to the elevator. She stared at her reflection in the gold elevator door while she waited. Her eyes welled up. "Don't!" she said out loud and the elevator door opened.

“Enjoy your evening, Miss.” The clerk at the front desk said jovially to Sonia as she walked by. He was captivated by her and never questioned what she was doing there every few nights. He just admired, even if he judged a little.

“Night.” Sonia replied. She smiled demurely and tucked her hair behind her ears. She dug into her Longchamp tote bag and searched for her phone. By the time she found it, her Uber pulled up to the entrance of the hotel.

Sonia settled in the back of the car and confirmed her destination with the driver. She lived in the next town over because she kept her work life separate from her home life as best she could. The driver offered her a bottle of water. She politely declined. He turned the radio up a notch and drove.

Sonia took her little black notebook out of her bag so she could note the night’s events. It had an elastic closure to keep sealed whatever contents lay inside. She kept a folded index card with her daily affirmation in it:

Be impeccable with your word.

Don’t take anything personally.

Don’t make assumptions.

Always do your best.

You are worthy. I love you.

Each time she opened the notebook, she read over the affirmations. She’d speak them out loud in a hushed whisper, just audible enough for her to hear them. She believed them. They helped her get through her days.

She turned to the next clean page in the notebook and began to write. She wrote the date and the time, the name of the hotel, the amount of money she received, and an abbreviation of Lawrence’s name; LawMil. The night air was cool during the summer in Central Islip so she cracked the window just a little to get a little breeze. She held the notebook in her hand for a few minutes while the air traced the shape of her face. Sonia was beautiful. Intimidatingly so, and it was her beauty that trapped her.

Her cleansing routine was always the same after her meetings. She kept two separate hampers, one for work clothes and one for everything else. She used a cotton round soaked in witch hazel to wipe her face and then she washed it with a glycerin soap. She’d run the water in the sink at its hottest and then, for at least three minutes, stuck her face in the steam it created. She’d shower and rinse her pussy with apple cider vinegar to remove whatever residuals resided. She would make a cup of tea when she was done and check her messages for the next appointment. It was the same routine, the same way, and she was tired.

The restaurant at the Crowne Plaza at JFK airport had enough accommodations for people to entertain or be entertained without much distraction. Sonia’s longest client always wanted to meet in the bar first. It was rare that they’d get to the room, though it was always booked. Omar almost always only wanted to talk. Sonia enjoyed his nights. They were high in conversation, low in physicality, and high in pay. He paid her fee and tipped her generously. No. That’s too polite. His tips paid whole months’ worth of her expenses. Sonia enjoyed nights with Omar.

“Hey babe.” Sonia said as Omar approached the table.

He reached out for her hand and she obliged. He kissed her softly, taking a moment to inhale. “Hello beautiful.” He said.

“Are we going up?'' she asked. She always asked and 8 out of 10 times he’d say no. Tonight was different.

“Yeah,” he said, “Let’s go up.”

Sonia picked up her bag and followed closely behind Omar toward the elevators.

When they got in the room, Sonia moved past Omar to put her things on the chair but he grabbed her by the wrist. She didn’t think it aggressive but she also knew this wasn’t his style. “Everything okay?” She asked.

“Umm. Yeah.” He hesitated and seemed embarrassed for grabbing her. He let her hand go. “I’m s---I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Sonia giggled and reached for his palm. “It’s fine babe.” She smiled softly. “Do you want to talk?” She held onto his hand and walked toward the bed. He followed.

“I talk alot don’t I?” He laughed.

“I don’t mind it.”

“I think about you a lot you know.” He pulled his hand from hers and lifted her chin. “You’re the most beautiful person I know. And I mean that inside and out. God you’re stunning. But you are more than that I can see it in you. I think about you alot and I wonder if you see it in yourself.”

She pulled her chin away from his hand and looked him in the eye. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying,” he hesitated, “I guess I’m saying don’t you ever want to stop this?” A seriousness preceded him. “Don’t you just want to have a normal life?”

“Ummmm, so I’m confused right now and I’m not sure where this is all coming from?” She said.

“Okay. I’m not trying to offend you or anything. I mean, this,” he waved his hand as if presenting the room to her, “this is how we met.”

“What are you getting at?”

“I want to give you something.” He took a folded manila envelope out of his inner jacket pocket. “This is $20,000. I’ve been wanting to give it to you for a while now. I see you and I see who you are on the inside and I think you could be the version of yourself that you believe you can be.”

“I, umm, I’m not su--” Omar cut her off.

“No. Don’t say anything right now.” He put the envelope on the bed next to her. “Do this for me. Stay the night. Think about it. I’ll be back in the morning. If you are here, then we can take the next step. If you are not, I’ll understand.” Omar put his jacket on and walked toward the door. He turned back and looked at her. “I almost forgot to tell you how soft you feel.”

“I know Omar, and I smell good too.”

“You do.” The door closed behind him.